Operation: How to lose a Dad
by mcbway
Summary: Regina left Storybrooke after the curse was broken, only Henry knows where she went. Emma married Neal and Neal's not as good a husband as it seems. So Henry persuades Emma to take a vacation. Not knowing that her son has ulterior motives Emma agrees.
1. Prologue

**Title: **Operation: How to lose a Dad

**Pairing: **Emma/Regina, starts with Emma/Neal, but only briefly

**Rating: **T

**Summary:** Regina left Storybrooke after the curse was broken, only Henry knows where she went. Emma married Neal and Neal's not as good a husband as it seems. So Henry persuades Emma to take a vacation. Not knowing that her son has ulterior motives Emma agrees.

**Prologue**

Henry should have been happy. He had everything. He had his mother – his real mother, at least in his eyes – and he had his father. He had a real family, with a grandpa who liked to teach him sword fighting and a grandma who fussed over him and taught him everything about the woods and the animals which lived there. He had friends at school and a puppy at home. He should have been happy. But he wasn't.

He knew something wasn't right when his Dad showed up late at Rubys and Belles barbecue. And he definitely knew that something wasn't right when he saw his Dad kissing one of the Fairies – Henry was sure it was Blue – behind one of the parked cars at said barbecue. He didn't want to hurt Emma – his Mom – so he kept quiet, hoping that it was just this once, that maybe his Dad just had had a big disagreement with his Mom and that they would resolve their differences and his Dad would go back to kissing Emma.

But after two weeks of Neal – he called him Neal know, because someone who cheats on his Mom can't be a good Dad, right – coming home late and hearing his Mom cry herself to sleep, Henry knew that things would never be right anymore.

Henry hoped that Emma would get herself together – she was the Savior – and confront Neal. And she did, but afterwards Henry wished she hadn't, because he had heard the resounding slaps Neal had placed on his mothers cheek. The next day she had applied as much make up as possible, but Henry knew what to look for and saw the red and blue marks under Emmas eyes.

He tried to talk to his Grandma – Snow White – who looked shocked and gasped "But they are each other's true love!" Henry was not so sure about that anymore. Snow told him to give it a little time, that maybe he had misinterpreted something and Henry wondered if Regina – his other mother – had been right with calling Snow White a naïve idiot.

The young boy decided to talk to David, he would help. Henry was sure of it. The charming prince believed his grandson and confronted both Emma and Neal. Neal assured that it would never happen again and for a few months everything seemed alright. Neal came home early each day and Henry started calling him Dad again.

But then the late nights started again, but Emma didn't cry this time. She said that Neal worked at night to buy a present for Henry. Snow thought it would be a horse. Henry hoped it would be a one-way-ticket to Siberia. He tried to talk to Emma, tell her that he had a hunch that Neal was not working those late nights. But Emma believed in her husband and Henry grew frustrated. The boy started another of his operations and started looking around for evidence that his Dad was not faithful to Emma.

One day he found a small chest in Neals wardrobe. It took a little time to open it, but after he had, he found a few letters in it. He looked at them. A few of them were from Blue and he dared not to open them, in fear of what he would have to read. Others were from Emma and then … then he found one with his name on it. Why would Neal have a letter in this box with Henrys name on it?

Curious as the boy was, he opened the letter and immediately recognized the writing. "Regina" he murmured and started to read. It was a short letter, telling him how sorry Regina was for everything that had happened and for leaving him. Telling him that it was the hardest thing she had ever done, and that she hoped that he would be happy with his family. It also told him where she went and that he could always contact her if he needed something. It told him that she loved him so much, this sentence was a little blurred, Regina had probably cried while writing it.

Henry looked at the date of the letter. Two years, it had been two years. Neal had kept this letter form him for two years. That was unacceptable. Angrily he looked at the box again and found another letter addressed to him.

"Dear Henry,

it has been two years since I wrote you a letter in hope that I would hear from you. I still have that hope, although I have never heard from you since the day I left Storybrooke.

Are you well? How are you doing in school? Is Ms Swan feeding you well? I hope she serves you vegetables from time to time.

Not much happened for me since I last wrote you. I changed address and now live in Orlando, Florida. Maybe you want to come visit me some time? I miss you terribly. It is not the same with out you and I even started to read some of your favourite comics, in hope that I feel closer to you.

I hope someday you can find it in yourself to forgive me and visit me.

I miss you!

Love,

Mom"

There was a post scrip tum with Regina's new address and even a picture of her in Disneyland with the evil Queen. Henry had to laugh, of course his Mom would want a picture of herself and an actress dressed as the Evil Queen.

He read the letters again. If he had known where his mother was he would have contacted her. Yes, he was happy with his family, or rather had been happy, but he had also missed Regina and not a day had gone by when he had not thought of her. Not always in good ways, but that didn't matter now.

Should he confront Neal? Or should he first talk to his grandfather? Henry decided to go to David first and ask him for advice. The charming prince told him to follow his heart and to not confront Neal, for now. But he also told Henry that he should maybe ask Emma to take a little vacation.

"But Neal would surely try to come with us."

His grandfather laughed "I'll sort this one out. I'm sure Neal won't get any vacation time soon."

Henry grinned, but then grew very serious. "Why are you helping me?"

"What do you mean?"

"She's the evil queen. She is your enemy, or was your enemy."

David clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, she's still your Mom and she loves you, that's what counts."

The young boy smiled at his grandfather. Now he only had to pursue Emma to take a vacation to Orlando, Florida. That couldn't be that hard right? And when they finally arrived they would find Regina and she would know what to do about Neal.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Firstly, I'm very sorry that it took so long for the next chapter, but work was a horror lately. Secondly, thank you for all the nice reviews and follows and so on.

I am yet to decide if SQ was canon before Regina had to leave. We'll see, I guess. So, thank you for reading and have fun with the next chapter.

**Operation: How to lose a Dad**

**Chapter 1**

It wasn't that hard to persuade Emma to take a family vacation, but it was a little harder to convince her to go on that vacation without Neal.

"Don't you think that your Dad would like to come with us?"

Seriously, Henry didn't think that Neal would like to come on a vacation. He was pretty sure that his father would prefer to stay at home and kiss his affair some more. Well, he couldn't quite say that to Emma, could he?

"Can't it be just the two of us? I bet Dad's happy that he'd have the house to himself for once." Oh, of course he would be happy.

"You really want some Mother and son bonding time?"

"Yes, yes, of course. We are going to have so much fun. We could even visit Disneyland."

"If you wanted to see Snow White you could just visit your grandmother, you know?"

"Mom!" The young boy grew impatient and irritated. "It would be really nice to something else than Storybrooke. Please Mom, just say yes! You know you want to!"

The blonde looked thoughtful for a moment. Of course, it would be nice to go and visit another state, and at least it would be warm there. And maybe a little separation from Neal would help her figure out what to do with him and their relationship.

"Okay, but first I have to talk with your Dad, okay?"

Not quite as he had planned it, but Henry was sure that Neal would not want to come with them. And he was proven right when Emma announced two days later that she had already booked their flights and hotel room.

"It'll only be for four days, kid, but if you really like it, maybe we can visit it again in a few months."

It would be enough time to visit his Mom, Henry was sure of it.

A few days later Emma and Henry were on their way to Orlando, Florida. After a tearful goodbye from Emma's mother, an awkward hug from Neal and a clap on the back from David, Henry had boarded the plane with his mother. He was so excited that Emma had to remind him to sit still and not kick his feet into the seat in front of him.

"What's wrong? You don't like flying?"

"I'm just really excited." And nervous, but he didn't tell her that. Emma needn't know that the only purpose of this trip was to meet up with Regina and ask the former Evil Queen for help in his Quest to get rid of his Dad.

"Yeah well, control your feet kid. This guy is already glaring at us, I don't want us to get in any trouble already." She whispered into her sons ear.

The young boy nodded. "Can we at least get in trouble in Disney World?"

The blonde grinned at the young boy. "Of course. Do you have something in mind?"

"Not yet."

"We could throw apples at Snow White."

The thirteen year old giggled. "Or steal prince Charmings sword."

"Or the caps of the seven dwarves. Oh, we could take a picture with the Evil Queen and send it to your grandmother." Emma laughed at her own idea, thinking that it was quite brilliant and not knowing that she would meet up with real Evil Queen some time soon.

After touch down and getting their things to their hotel, mother and son decided that it would be time to get a little snack. Henry was of course famished, which is normal for a growing thirteen year old.

They found a cozy little restaurant near their hotel.

"What do you wanna eat, kid?"

"I'll take the lasagna and some garlic bread."

"Well, I'll be sure to get a separate room then." Emma joked.

"What? I like garlic bread." Henry rolled his eyes.

"Wow kid! You just totally looked like Regina." She was surprised when her son didn't take offense, but looked guilty and sad. "Hey, something wrong?" She laid her hand on his in that motherly fashion she'd seen on TV so often. "You know, you can tell me anything."

She wasn't prepared for what came next. "Did you know that she wrote me letters?" The shocked look on the blondes face said all.

"Really? You never told me."

"Because I didn't know."

"But … how ..."

"Neal … Dad … Neal … I found them in a box in his drawer."

"What did you do in your Dads drawer?"

A light blush crept on the boys face and he stammered "I … I was looking for something and I found those letters. She wrote me and I didn't know and now she'll think that I forgot all about her. I know I was really mean to her and I said some things, but she's still my Mom and she'll think that I don't love her or that I want to punish her, because she went away. But I didn't know why she had to go ..."

"And now you do?" Emma was curious what Regina had told her son. She was fidgeting with her napkin.

Henry looked at his mother suspiciously "Do you?"

"Well … the curse broke and ..."

"And?"

"Neal came to Storybrooke."

"He told her to leave, didn't he? Why would he do that? She's my Mom."

"Look kid, I don't know the whole story, maybe we should wait till we are home again and you can ask your Dad about it, okay?"

"Or maybe I could tell him." They heard a familiar voice and turned their heads at the same time. And there she was the Evil Queen in all her glory, or better in her chef clothing. "Good evening Ms Swan, or should I say Mrs Cassady?"


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_Again thank you for all the nice reviews :). Henry ordering lasagna wasn't a code for Regina ;). He did go to Orlando to find her, but he certainly didn't know that he would meet her that fast._

_Have fun reading the next part ^^ and keep reviewing it keeps writers motivated._

**Operation: How to lose a Dad**

**Chapter 2**

"Regina?" Emma looked dumbfounded at the former mayor of Storybrooke.

But Regina's attention was already on Henry. "Henry?"

"Mom?" The boy hopped up from his chair and nearly tripped over his own feet in his rush to get to his brunette mother. Without shame he slung both his arms around Regina's middle and burried his head in her neck.

"You have grown so much." With tears in her eyes she embraced her young son. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too. And I would have written you … or called you … or came to visit you sooner, but I just found your letters a few days ago and I came to Orlando to find you and I didn't think I'd see you on the first day already."

Regina smiled. Henry had grown so much, but he still was very much her little boy. "Are you here for long? Wait … you … you never got my letters?"

Henry shook his head.

"Ms Swan, care to explain?" There it was, the strict mayor-voice Regina was famous for.

Before Emma could even open her mouth to defend herself, Henry said "It's not her fault. Neal never gave me the letters."

"Cassady. Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Another voice was now shouting for Regina. The brunette woman stroked her sons cheek gently and said "I have to go back to work. I'll be finished in two hours, want to wait for me here?"

"We have to go back to the hotel and unpack" Emma was quick to decline.

"Mom can go back and unpack, I'll wait here. I don't mind. And Mom, we haven't even eaten yet. I'm really hungry."

But Emma insisted "We can take your lasagna to go and I'm not that hungry anyway." The blonde was already on her way to the waitress to tell her the change for their order.

"Mom! Please?" The puppy eyes, he really tried to change her opinions with The puppy eyes and of course it worked.

With a loud sigh Emma went back to her seat. "Okay, we'll wait." She was surprised when she saw Regina's brown eyes alight and a warm smile bloom on the other woman's face.

"Great. I'll see to it that your food is ready in an instant." She was already on the way to the kitchen, when she turned around again and said "Thank you Ms Swan!"

"You wanted to come here, because you thought you'd find Regina?" Emma didn't know if she should be furious with her son. "I get that she was your Mom and that you wanted to see her, after such a long time, but you shouldn't have lied to me."

"She still is my Mom!"

"I'm your mother! You are my son!"

Henry sighed, clearly displeased with his mothers opinion. "People can have two moms, you know?"

"Have you forgotten, how she lied to you?"

"No ..."

"Then why? You have me and your father and your grandparents, why do you need the Evil Queen?"

"She always loved me, no matter what ..."

Emma interrupted the young boy "I love you … and Neal loves you ..."

"He loves me so much that he had to steal my letters?"

"He just wanted to protect you. It's what fathers do."

"Do they also cheat on their wives?" He couldn't stop it, the words just tumbled out of his mouth. They had never spoken about Neals infidelity. "Mom, I'm ..."

"No Henry! What's between your father and I is our business, not yours. Your father loves you."

"He has a funny way of showing."

Emmas eyes grew exceptionally sad. "Henry, we needn't talk about that right now."

"We never talk about stuff like that. Serious stuff. You always tell me it'll be okay. Grandma always tells me it'll be okay, that you and Neal are each others true love. But you aren't. He wouldn't cheat on you if you were."

"You know how your grandma is."

Henry rolled his eyes. Of course he knew how his grandmother was.

"Henry, okay it was not alright that your father cheated on me and that he took your letters. But you don't have to worry about me, alright? I know what I'm doing."

"Well, you're not doing it right!" The young boy protested loudly. He wanted to say more, but their conversation was interrupted when the waitress brought their meals.

Mother and son were both silent while eating.

"She seemed really happy when she saw you" Emma said quietly and smiled at her son gently.

Henry's eyes lit up and he answered "Yes she did."

Regina was so happy she thought her heart might burst. Her son had finally come to visit her. He was here and he wanted to talk to her. He had hugged her and my, had he grown. He was nearly as tall as her, not long and he would be taller. She was so proud.

She wanted to tell him so much, show him so many things. Wanted to show him that she had changed, that she had gotten better for him. Only for him. And of course he also deserved the truth about her leaving Storybrooke and him behind. She would tell him, maybe not today, but surely during this visit.

Mother and son were still waiting for Regina's shift end. They were quietly talking about Neal and the possible reasons he could have had, for hiding Henry's letters.

"I'm sure it's not because he doesn't love you. He thought you'd be safer without having any contact to her."

"She never would have hurt me."

"Well, she did poison you!" Emma pointed out.

"Generally speaking I wanted to poison you, not my son." A tired looking Regina sat down next to Henry. "Did you like the lasagna?"

The boy nodded. "Of course. I missed your cooking."

"Is Ms Swan still feeding you junk food?"

"No, no, no. I feed him loads of vegetables and other healthy stuff, you know milk and cheese and green tea and absolutely no soda and no sweets before dinner." The blonde didn't know why she was still so nervous in front of the other woman. Guess, old habits die hard.

Regina just ignored the blondes babbling and concentrated on her little boy. "You've grown so much."

"You already told me."

"Sorry, it's just been … it's just been so long."

"You wanted to tell me why you left."

Regina laughed "Still not beating around the bush, huh?"

"Never" mumbled the blonde woman. "That's something he got from you!"

Regina laughed again. "That simply can't be, because it is one of your poorer traits."

"Still a snarky b..."

"Still a swearing idiot I see. Don't know where you got the swearing, but the idiot thing, I know where that came from." Regina smirked. She still had it. She was still able to make Emma Swan crawl up a wall.

"Henry, we are going!" That threat worked. Regina instantly sobered up.

"Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it."

"You did." Then Emma grinned suddenly "Remember my super power?"

"How could I forget? The almighty, all knowing Emma Swan?" Regina smiled slightly.

Henry was confused. First his mothers were calling each others names and then they were joking with each other? What was happening here?

"Now that we have put our little dispute aside, maybe you want to come to my apartment for some hot chocolate?"

"Wanna poison me again?"

Regina and Henry both rolled their eyes, looking so much alike that Emma wondered how they couldn't be blood related. "I will refrain from poisoning you, at least for the next few days."

"How gracious of you, your Majesty!"

"Henry, tell your mother to shut up, or I'll do worse things to her than poison her."

The young boy sighed. He wondered which of his mothers would live through the night.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _I am so very sorry about the long delay, but I didn't have time to write anything :(. Work is crazy at the moment, like always ^^._

_As for Neal being a douche in my story: sorry if I offend any Neal-lovers, but I really can't stand his character. Sorry!_

_About Regina having magic: I haven't decided yet if she still has her powers or not. We'll see._

_Have fun reading and keep reviewing! I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible._

**Operation: How to lose a Dad**

**Chapter 3**

The walk to Regina's flat was short and filled with Henry telling his Mom all about his new sword fighting skills.

„I hope your grandfather only lets you fight with wooden swords ..."

Henry rolled his eyes. „Of course, Mom. But he said that he'll give me a real one on my 16th birthday."

"Not if I have a say in it."

"Well you haven't." Emma piped in. "You were gone for years and now, after a few minutes you think you can play Mom again?"

And there it was, the lethal eyebrow of one Evil Queen. "Excuse me?"

Henry's eyes widened in shock. Emma hadn't really said that, right?

"Seems familiar to me, Ms Swan." Reginas voice was dangerously low.

"I'm his mother!"

"Birthmother! I was … am his adopted mother. As sheriff you ought to know that I'd have more rights than you … but your complete disregard for any law …."

"I am the law!"

"Not here!"

"If you have so many rights as his adoptive mother, why did you leave him? You could have taken him with you. But instead you ran away without him, without saying goodbye to my son!"

"Don't speak of things you don't understand!" Regina was furious. It had not been easy to leave Henry behind. Not at all. But had she taken him with her, she would have been hunted by the Charmings and she didn't want her son to grow up on the run. "And I did say goodbye. I wrote Henry a letter, which he didn't get, because YOUR husband hid it from MY son."

"Neal had every right ..."

The brunette was frustrated, Emma wasn't listening to her, she never had listened to her. "I knew you wouldn't understand. You are so fixated on the fact that you and Neal are related to Henry by blood, that you just disregard me raising him for ten years. It was me who changed his diapers, who fed him and clothed him. Who soothed every fever and held him after a nightmare or during a storm ..." She wanted to say more, but saw that they had finally arrived at her flat. "Here it is, my flat. It's not a house, but it's cozy."

Cozy? Mayor Mills would have never gone for anything cozy. "You look like you have flatulence." Regina said after taking a look at Emmas contorted face. After that little dig, the former Queen finally opened the front door and let Henry walk in first.

"Do you want anything to drink? I could make you a cocoa." She asked her son, while taking his jacket and properly hanging it.

"With cinnamon?"

Regina laughed at her sons sparkling eyes. "Of course." Her eyes grew hard again when she looked at Emma and asked her what she'd like to drink.

"I'll take a hot cocoa. Also with cinnamon." The blonde put her red leather jacket over Reginas couch, disappointed that Regina hadn't seen that, because the brunette had already walked into her kitchen.

"Are you doing that on purpose?"

"What kid?"

"Being mean to her?"

"I am being mean to her? Kid, she tried to kill us all. Several times."

"She never tried to kill me." Henry stated matter-of-factly.

"But she nearly did." Emma huffed and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Please, just stop being mean to her. I want to know why she had to leave."

"Maybe she left, because she wanted to?"

"Or maybe there's something else behind it?"

"That's the last time we go on vacation." Emma murmured and sat down on the soft couch. "At least I get a hot cocoa out of it."

Regina came back with two mugs of cocoa and a cup of tea for herself. "Here you go Henry."

The boy took a big gulp. "Wow, it's even better than Granny's."

"Thank you!" Regina smiled and sat down next to her son. The next few minutes the three of them sipped their beverages in silence, 'til Emma broke that silence.

"Well, don't you want to start with your story?"

"What story?"

"The one you wanted to tell Henry, about you leaving him."

"I had no choice!" Regina insisted.

"Bullshit!"

"Language!" Regina sat down her cup and shook her head. "I hope your language at home is not as distasteful as it is here. I don't want my son to be exposed to such foul expressions."

"Oh cut the crap, Regina and get on with your story. I want to leave this apartment as soon as possible."

"Your attitude was always a little ..."

"I told you to get on with it. We don't have that much time."

"Maybe I should tell my story only to Henry, because I am sure that you won't believe me."

"I believed you when you finally told me that the curse is true, that one day in the closet, right? I believed you then."

"You only believe what you want to believe, you're as bad as your parents."

Henry looked at his blonde Mom. "Maybe you should take a walk, Mom?"

"What? Now I'm the bad guy?"

"If you would just listen for once ..."

"Okay … well … I'll just sit in the kitchen and let you talk." The blonde looked at her watch and then at the brunette "You have one hour." With that she left the living room and went to the kitchen, leaving the door wide open, 'cause you never now what Evil Queens might do, right?

"Are you sure you want to know everything, Henry?" Regina asked her son. It wouldn't be easy for him to hear everything, of that she was sure.

"Yes. I want to know why you left so suddenly. Did Mom do something? Or grandma? I know she doesn't like you that much, but you are my Mom and she knows that. Deep inside she knows it."

"Your grandmother didn't do anything. I don't know how to tell you, I don't want you to reject your father. I know how much it hurts to be rejected by your loved ones."

Henry sighed. Maybe, if he told her what his Dad did, maybe then she would tell him the whole truth. "Neal … I mean Dad … he cheats on Mom."

Reginas eyes widened in shock. "Does Ms Swan know?"

Henry nodded. "Yes, but they made up and he told her that he wouldn't do it ever again. But then the late nights started again and Dad told Mom some bullshit about working more ..."

"Language Henry!" The brunette admonished her son.

"Sorry! He says he's working all the time, but I know that it's not true. I told Grandma the first time, but she said that it wasn't possible that Neal's cheating on Mom, because they are their true loves or something like that. You know how Grandma is."

Regina nodded. "Neal is Emmas true love?"

"Of course not! He wouldn't cheat on her if he was, right?"

"Your Dad cheating, doesn't mean that he doesn't love your Mother or you."

"Then what does it mean? If he isn't happy with us, then he should just go and leave us alone. We would be better off without him." Henry huffed.

"Maybe he isn't leaving you because he loves you too much?"

"He doesn't love us really. He's never home, he never played with me. He never read comics with me before bed, not like you did."

"Maybe he doesn't like comics?"

"He has a whole stash under his bed."

Thank god he had only found the comics. Regina imagined that a grown man like Neal must have other "reading" material besides comics. "Maybe he can't read?" The brunette tried to lighten the mood a little bit.

"Mom!" Henry giggled.

"I love you, you know that, right?" Regina looked at her son with a somber expression.

"Yes … I always knew. Even when I thought you were the Evil queen and even when I tried to hate you, I always knew that you loved me."

"It really hurt when you tried to hate me."

Henry looked at Regina with his sad puppy eyes and nearly crawled onto her lap when he put his arms around her to hug her and try to make the sad look on her face go away. "I am sorry."

The brunette gently stroked over her sons hair, before resting her cheek against his head, trying to hide the tears which were starting to form in her eyes. "You need not be sorry for anything. It's me who should be sorry. I should never have lied to you. Maybe, if I had told you the truth, I wouldn't have lost you."

"You never lost me, I just was misplaced for a short time. You'll come back to Storybrooke with me and we'll see each other everyday and ..."

"Henry I can not go back to Storybrooke." Regina stated sadly.

Henry looked up at his mother. "Why?"

"I … your father told me to never come back. He made me promise to never come back."

Henry balled his fists angrily. "Why? You never did anything to him!"

Regina coughed. "Well … that's not entirely true." She confessed.

"Did you try to poison him too? Did you use magic on him?"

The brunette blushed and coughed again, while mumbling quickly "I … I might have kissed Ms Swan."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I know it's only a short part, but I wanted to give you something to read before the weekend. I know Henry's reaction is not well explained in the following chapter, but I'm going to explain that in the next one. I have my reasons.

As always have fun reading and keep reviewing!

**Operation: How to lose a Dad**

**Chapter 4**

_**Some time before the curse broke**_

_Emma tugged Regina into a storage room. "Tell me!" She demanded of the brunette woman._

"_What?"_

_The next thing Regina knew, was that Emma held her against the wall in a near death grip. "Don't play dumb, Madam Mayor … or should I say Your Highness?" The blonde pressed out between her clenched teeth. "Is it true?" Emma stared down at the older woman. She waited a few seconds, but when she didn't get an answer she pressed her fingers in Reginas sides and slammed her against the wall a second time. "Tell me! Are you the Evil Queen? Did you poison my son?"_

"_It wasn't meant for him!" Regina cried out desperately. "I would never hurt my son!"_

_Emma laughed cruelly. "Why is he lying in a hospital bed then? He's dying Regina and it is your fault!"_

"_No, it's yours. You should have just left and went back to Boston. But no, you couldn't do that. You had to stay and steal my son from me."_

"_I did not need to steal him. He came all alone." Emma snarled, but then suddenly she felt a sting on her cheek. "You hit me!"_

"_You deserved it!"_

"_Oh you bi …."_

"_Language!"_

"_I'll show you language!" Emma got closer to the brunette. They were both seething with anger and shooting daggers at each other._

"_It's your fault!"_

"_No, it's yours!"_

"_Yours!"_

"_Yours!"_

"_You...mmmphhhhh!" Regina had muffled Emmas reply with her lips. It was over before it even started. "What the …?" Emma stared at the shocked Brunette. But before either one could analyze what had happened, their lips already had found each other again and the two women melted into each other. Hands started to roam when the kiss deepened and the women let go of their pent up frustration._

_The door opened and a man poked his head in. "Oh sorry, I'm looking for the sheriff." He laughed when the two women jumped apart, but then quickly sobered up when he recognized one of the two. "Emma?"_

"_Neal?"_

"_Ms Swan?"_

"_Regina?"_

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_Well, you dragged me in here ..."_

"_Not you Regina!" Emma huffed. "Neal"_

"_Emma?"_

"_Ms Swan."_

"_Regina."_

"_Emma?"_

"_Neal, just answer the fucking question!"_

"_Lang..."_

"_...uage, I know!"_

**Present Time:**

Henry stared at his brunette mother. Had he heard right? He could have sworn that she had said that she had kissed Emma. No! That couldn't be! Those two hated each other, right?

"Henry?" A gentle hand on his shoulder brought the boy out of his reverie.

"You … you kissed Emma?"

"It just happened."

"How?"

Regina fidgeted in her seat. How do you explain such a thing to a nearly 13 year old? She was spared an answer when Emma gave her opinion – when had she gotten back in the room? "Kid, I needed to shut her up, so I figured the best way to do that, was to kiss her."

One of Reginas eyebrows shot up. "If I remember correctly, it was me that kissed you, not the other way round."

"Please, you just pressed your lips to mine for like a nano-second. That's not a kiss, barely qualifies as a peck. I on the other hand, had the guts to really kiss you."

Really? Did they even have to fight about who kissed whom? Henry sighed and shook his head. His mothers were so weird.

Ten minutes later Regina and Emma were still having a discussion about who kissed whom first. "Just give up Regina! I kissed you and you liked it."

"No! Wait a second! I kissed you and you liked it so much that you kissed me a second time."

Emma tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. "I already told you, what you did was not a kiss. I kiss my grandmother with more vigor … well I would, if I had one."

Regina threw her hand in the air exasperated. "Ms Swan, you are walking on thin ice!"

"Really? What are you going to do? Change me into a toad." The blonde grinned. Henry looked on in confusion. How had they gotten from kisses to changing into toads?

"I don't have magic. At least not here." The brunette woman admitted.

"Ha, so you can't do anything to me and now admit that I kissed you."

"Why is it so important who kissed whom first?" Henry whined. He was bored to death by his two mothers arguing and he wished he had brought a book or his iPad.

Regina looked flustered. "It … it … it's not"

"Then why are you arguing?"

Emma laughed. "Because it's what we do best, kid. Can't you remember?"

The young boy rolled his eyes. "Can we please just go back to Mom explaining why my father made her leave?"

"Of course. I want to know as much as you Henry."

Silence. Regina was nervously playing with the ring on one of her fingers.

"It was not only because you two kissed, right?"

"That was only a little part of it." Regina sighed. "Remember when Henry woke up and the curse broke?" She looked at the Saviour.

"Yes. It was my love for him, that did it."

"That's not entirely true. Don't understand me wrong. Henry woke up because of you love for him. But the curse broke because of ..." the Brunette stopped talking, afraid of what might happen if she finally said it out loud.

"Because we kissed?" Emma looked bewildered. "But, … it wasn't even a romantic kiss … it was just in the spur of the moment."

"That's all it took apparently."

"Does that mean …?"

Regina stared everywhere but at Emma.

"Ooooohhhhh Grandma's gonna be so pissed!"

"Henry, language!" He was admonished by both his mothers.

"Sooooo, Regina and I are each others true love? That's something my mother won't stomach well."

"How does Dad figure in all of this?" Henry wanted to know.

"He came to me that evening, after the curse broke, he told me I had to go. I didn't understand why and then he told me about this book ..." The brunette stood up and went to the bookshelf at the far end of the room. After only a few minutes of searching, she found what she was looking for and came back to the couch. "Here … it's about the Saviour and her Queen … well, that's the title."

Henry opened it and read a few sentences. "It seems to tell your story. Here's a picture of Emma coming to Storybrooke."

Emma looked at it. How could that be?

"It's not a fairytale" Regina tried to explain "More like a prophecy."

"But if we are … mhmm each others, how shall I say? Destiny? Then why did you have to go?"

"Read the book, Ms Swan. It will tell you everything."


End file.
